Legal Services Board told not to force lower disciplinary standard of proof “through the back door” – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has been warned against trying to force the introduction of the civil standard of proof in the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) without proper consultation.’

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Legal Futures, 29th September 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law Society lashes SRA over “new Wild West” of legal regulation – Legal Futures

Posted September 28th, 2017 in Law Society, legal services, news, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘The Law Society has hit out at the latest raft of reforms proposed yesterday by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and particularly the idea of granting ‘freelance’ solicitors the ability to deliver reserved legal services without being either a registered sole practitioner or part of a law firm.’

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Legal Futures, 28th September 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm faces £68,000 VAT bill after tribunal rules electronic property search fees are not disbursements – Legal Futures

‘A leading north-west law firm has been ordered to pay £68,000 in VAT for electronic local authority property searches it procured from an agency, after a tribunal ruled that they should not have been treated as disbursements.’

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Legal Futures, 18th September 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

McKenzie ban back to drawing board – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 18th, 2017 in codes of practice, consultations, fees, judiciary, Law Society, McKenzie friends, news by tracey

‘HM Judiciary is set to reassess some of its proposals for regulating the fast-expanding “McKenzie friend” sector after a consultation on banning fee recovery received “large numbers of responses”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th September 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Professional negligence claim against Law Society to proceed to trial – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 7th, 2017 in law firms, Law Society, negligence, news, solicitors by tracey

‘A professional negligence claim against the Law Society based on information listed in its “Find a Solicitor” (FAS) directory which turned out to be fraudulent should proceed to trial, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 6th September 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Law Society fails in bid to throw out claim by firm over false ‘Find A Solicitor’ entry – Legal Futures

Posted August 29th, 2017 in appeals, duty of care, fraud, identity fraud, internet, law firms, Law Society, negligence, news by tracey

‘The Law Society has failed in its bid to strike out a negligence claim by a law firm that was the victim of a fraud after the details of another firm it had checked on the society’s online “Find a Solicitor” (FAS) facility turned out to be false.’

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Legal Futures, 29th August 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firms, legal executives and licensed conveyancers join forces to lobby for leasehold reform

Posted June 21st, 2017 in conveyancing, housing, law firms, Law Society, leases, legal executives, news by sally

‘A new property law alliance, the Legal Sector Group (LSG), has written to the government, with a detailed set of proposals on leasehold reform.’

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Legal Futures, 21st June 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Government inspectors should enforce workers’ rights, says Law Society – The Guardian

‘Government-backed inspectors should be able to investigate companies and entire industries to prevent unscrupulous companies falsely labelling workers as self-employed, according to a leading legal body.’

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The Guardian, 21st June 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Law Society warns of lack of legal advice in redress scheme for birth injuries – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 7th, 2017 in birth, government departments, health, Law Society, news, personal injuries by sally

‘The Law Society has told the Department of Health that its proposed rapid resolution and redress (RRR) scheme will fail to deliver its intended result of fewer severe avoidable birth injuries.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th June 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Competition tribunal scolds Law Society over disclosure failure – Legal Futures

Posted June 7th, 2017 in competition, costs, disclosure, documents, indemnities, Law Society, news, tribunals by sally

‘The president of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has reproached the Law Society for a “deeply unimpressive” explanation of its failure to disclose all the documents it should have done in the Socrates case.’

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Legal Futures, 7th June 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Pro bono legal advice panel for victims of London attack – Law Society

Posted June 7th, 2017 in charities, law firms, Law Society, London, news, pro bono work, solicitors, terrorism by sally

‘People bereaved and injured following the attack on London Bridge will be offered free legal advice through a panel of solicitor firms to be convened by the Law Society of England and Wales with LawWorks, the solicitors’ pro bono charity, and the City of London Law Society.’

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Law Society, 6th June 2017

Source: www.lawsociety.org.uk

Socrates case stayed for quantum discussions as tribunal orders Law Society to pay up to £230,000 in costs – Legal Futures

‘The fall-out from the decision that the Law Society breached competition law looks set to last for several more months after the Competition Appeal Tribunal laid out the timetable for determining damages.’

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Legal Futures, 5th June 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law Society “abused dominant position” with CQS training monopoly, competition tribunal rules – Legal Futures

‘The Law Society abused its dominant position by requiring over 3,000 law firms to buy its own training in order to maintain their Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 26th May 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Fast-track immigrations proposals ‘put speed before justice’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 19th, 2017 in appeals, asylum, deportation, detention, immigration, Law Society, news, tribunals by tracey

‘Accelerating appeals for detained asylum seekers risks putting speed before justice, the Law Society has warned, after justice secretary Liz Truss unveiled a new system she says will save taxpayers an estimated £2.7m.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 18th April 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law Society launches mental capacity accreditation for Court of Protection – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Law Society has launched a new mental capacity accreditation for legal representatives serving the Court of Protection.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th March 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Legal Services Board launches probe into whether Law Society fetters SRA’s independence – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has stepped up the pressure on the Law Society’s role as the approved regulator of solicitors by announcing a formal investigation into whether the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has sufficient independence.’

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Legal Futures, 17th February 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New CPD rules: how to implement them in your practice – The Future of Law

‘What is the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) new mandatory regime on continuing professional development (CPD) for solicitors? Nicola Jones, co-founder and director of Athena Professional and a learning for performance consultant, takes a look at the new rules and provides guidance on how firms can implement them into their practices.’

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The Future of Law, 16th February 2017

Source: www.blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk

‘Conned trying to get my children back’ – BBC News

Posted February 13th, 2017 in custody, family courts, fees, Law Society, McKenzie friends, news by sally

‘Two parents fighting legal battles for custody of their children paid thousands of pounds to a company providing “McKenzie friends” – people with no legal training who assist in court. But they were badly let down.’

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BBC News, 13th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Law Society intervenes in high-stakes appeal over the ‘£400 club’ – Litigation Futures

Posted February 9th, 2017 in appeals, costs, fees, insurance, law firms, Law Society, news, pre-action conduct by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has invited the Law Society to intervene in a highly significant hearing this month in which insurers are trying to recover millions of pounds in RTA claims portal fees from claimant solicitors in the so-called ‘£400 club’.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th February 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Society challenges government’s ‘concern’ for road accident victims – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Plans to increase the small claims limit will create difficulties for road accident victims, the Law Society has warned, as the government begins considering more than 9,000 responses to its proposals for tougher punishment for dangerous drivers.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd February 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk